170 academics, writers, film makers, journalists, activists, and other public intellectuals drawn from several countries have expressed their strong protest against the charges of criminal offence brought against political psychologist and sociologist Ashis Nandy over an editorial page article written by him in The Times of India in January this year, in the aftermath of Narendra Modi‘s victory in the Gujarat elections.

“This is the latest case of harassment of intellectuals, journalists, artists, and public figures by anti-democratic forces that claim to speak on behalf of Hindu values sometimes and patriotism at other times, especially in Gujarat, but who have little understanding of either.

“What is pernicious in this case is that the charge of criminal offence against Nandy levied under Section 153 (A) and (B) for his newspaper article “Blame the Middle Classes,” was brought by the head of the Gujarat Branch of the National Council of Civil Liberties.

“The State Government of Gujarat, by giving its permission for filing the case, has shown its own complicity in the case.

“It seems part of the strategy of the most intolerant sections of Indian society today to make a cynical use the language of civil liberties to achieve ends that are the opposite of what the aspirations to civil liberties and the struggles over them represent… We demand that all the charges against Professor Nandy be immediately dropped.

“We understand that there is a great deal of anxiety in Gujarat today about its lost honour. It might help to remind ourselves that this honour or asmita will not be gained by acts of violence and intimidation but by recovering or discovering the humanity of each other. Gujarat can and will regain its own destiny by remembering the politics of nonviolence, as one of its sons by the name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi once taught the nation and the world.”

Lawyer to some; leader to others. Beacon to some; bugbear to others. He was many things to many people. Apostle of peace and non-violence, and father of the nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was also a triumph of branding. As Sarojini Naidu famously said, it took a lot of money to keep Gandhi poor.

“The truth is he wasn’t just some sappy dude who sat around all day smiling. He was a sharp lawyer who had a mind for smart communication. He was non-violent, but not passive. He devastated an empire by taking residence in people’s minds.

“He knew how the media worked and how to get attention. He spread his message by causing peaceful civil disobedience that got talked about in international press and word of mouth. That’s the power of a story worth discussing.

“His famous salt march was done explicitly to get noticed. He made a small batch of salt, which was illegal for him to do under British rule. The salt he made wasn’t worth much, but the press couldn’t help but write about his defiance.”

Was he, all things considered, also the greatest advertising guru of his time, and ours? A man who preceded image consultants, brand managers, public relations?